The Best Cheesecake Recipe Ever
The only cheesecake recipe you'll ever need: easy to make, ultra creamy, rich and luscious with a beautifully balanced flavor.
Ingredients
Instructions
Prep:
Bring all ingredients to room temperature
Preheat oven to 325F (conventional / no fan)
Prepare a 9" springform pan. Lightly brush softened butter inside the pan and line it with parchment paper (I recommend a parchment circle on the base, and a separate strip of parchment along the sides of the pan). Wrap the pan tightly with 2-3 large sheets of aluminum foil on the outside (you can do this after the crust has baked, too)
Crust:
Grind the Graham crackers and sugar in a food processor until they form a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined
Transfer the crust ingredients to the prepared pan. Pack very tightly using the back of a measuring cup. You can push a little up the edges, or leave it all on the bottom for a slightly thicker crust
Bake the crust in the pre-heated oven for ~7-8 min, then remove from the oven
Cheesecake:
First, whisk the cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla for ~3-5 min until well combined and creamy. Keep scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle / whisk to ensure everything combines evenly. I recommend using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer
Break the eggs in a separate bowl and whisk lightly. Don’t overbeat because if the eggs get airy they will give a spongy texture to the cheesecake. Add them to the batter slowly and mix at a low speed until JUST combined
Add the cream, sour cream, and lemon juice and mix at low speed until just combined. Keep scraping the bowl and whisk / paddle
Pour the batter into the baked crust. Gently tap the cheesecake pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles; this will help prevent cracking
Place a large tray in the oven and fill it with 1-2 inches of boiling water. Place the cheesecake pan in the water and bake for about ~75-80 min. Don’t open the oven until at least 70 minutes. When done, the cheesecake should be set at the edges but be very jiggly in the middle (like jello!)
Cool the cheesecake for 2-3 hours at room temp. After this, place it in the fridge and chill overnight, uncovered (12+ hours)
Serving:
Once the cheesecake has chilled overnight, carefully remove it from the pan and transfer to a serving stand. If there are any imperfections, you can use a hot offset spatula to smooth them out
Optionally, decorate the cheesecake with plain whipped cream and / or berries
Serve and enjoy!
